Dallas, which lost to last-place San Jose 3-1 on Aug. 4 in their last home game, still sits a stellar 7-1-4 at home this year, the best mark in the West.

That doesn’t bode well for Minnesota, which is 1-9-1 on the road this year — the worst mark in the league. Then again, San Jose had only one road win this year when the Earthquakes rolled into Dallas.

“It is never easy this time of year when you go to Dallas,” Minnesota head coach Adrian Heath said. “It is going to be a real tough one, but as San Jose proved, if you have a little bit of luck on the road and you take your opportunities when they come who knows what can happen?”

“They are in a battle to get a good spot,” said Dallas coach Oscar Pareja of Minnesota. “Like us, they need the three points.”

Roland Lamah leads Dallas with eight goals this year, with Maximiliano Urruti adding six goals. Darwin Quintero has found the back of the net 10 times this year for Minnesota

Francisco Calvo and Collen Warner of Minnesota will miss the game with disciplinary suspensions from the league, as will Reto Ziegler for Dallas.